Automobile heater



20,1941. H. J. DE N. MccoLLuM 2,242,316

AUTOMOBILE HEATER u' Filed Nov. 29, 1937 s sheets-sheet 1 f -f age mca" Hmm] @wie Y0/fum May 20, 1941. H. J. DE N. MccoLLuM 2,242,315

AUTOMOBILE HEATER Filed Nov. 29, 1937 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 lll illil 3y amp@ W 9g 110 Eff# Y 20, 1941. H. J. DE N. MccoLLUM A 2,242,316 I AUTOMOBILE HEATER v Filed Nov. 29, 1937 s sheets-sheet s Patented May 20, 1.941

UNITED STATES yPATENT OFFICE;l

AUTOMOBILE HEATER Henry J. De N. McCollum, Evanston, Ill.

Application November 29, 1937, Serial No. 177,076

8 Claims.

y bustion is transferred to the air in the passenger compartment of the vehicle.

It is an object of my invention to provide an improved radiator capable of receiving the hot gases of combustion, subtracting a large proportion of the heat therefrom, and transmitting the heat to the air of the passenger compartment of the vehicle which is circulated past the radiator.l

A further object is to provide an improved radiator for automobile heaters of the internal combustion type, which is substantially noiseless in operation. I

A further object is to provide an improved radiator for automobile heaters of the internal combustion type in which means are provided to prevent variations in pressure throughout the passageway through the radiator, thereby to assure steady uninterrupted combustion.

A further object is to provide an improved radiator construction which may be easily and economically manufactured.

Other objects will appear from the following description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a central vertical sectional view of the heater;

Figs. 2 and 3 are transverse sectional views of the' radiator taken on the lines 2-2 and 33, respectively, of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 -is a developed sectional v'ew of the radiator body taken along the circular line 4-6 of Fig. 2;

Fig'. 5 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on the line 5-5 of Fig. 2;

, Figs. 6 and 7 are transverse sectional views taken on the lines 6-6 and 1-1, respectively, of Fig. 1;

Fig. 8 is aY transverse sectional view of the combustion chamber casing and re-igniter taken on the line 8 8 of Fig. 1; and

plate.

The heater to which the present invention appertalns is of the type in which the reducedl pressure or vacuum in the intake manifold of the automobile engine is utilized to draw a supply of liquid fuel from a suitable source, mix

Fig. 9 is a perspective view of the inlet baille combustion chamber. In the combustion chamber, the mixture is ignited by suitable means, preferably an electrically operated igniter, and

from the combustion chamber the hot gases of combustion are drawn lthrough a radiator and from the radiator iiow through a. vacuum compensating nozzle into the intake manifold of the engine. l

As more fully disclosed in my copending applications, Serial No. 61,213, filed January 28, 1936, and Serial No. 120,523, filed January 14, 1937, suitable means are provided to control the supply of current to the igniter so as to conserve the electrical energy which is normally drawn from'the storage battery of the vehicle and to connect to the battery a motor for driving a fan used to circulate air from the passenger compartment of the vehicle past the radiator.

In Fig. 1, I have shown the most important operating elements of the heater, these come prising a priming well I0 partially immersed in a liquid fuel, such as gasoline, contained in a suitable reservoir l2 whichmay be the oat bowl of the usual engine carburetor or may be a separate tank or auxiliary reservoir for the fuel. The fuel is drawn from the well I0 through a-conduit It to the fuel inlet ofa carbureting device designated generally as i6, and which may be of any suitable construction capable of mixing the liquid fuel andl air in combustible proportions. If desired, anauxiliary air inlet IB controlled by an adjustable needle valve 20 may be provided for refined adjustment of the proportions of the combustible mixture of fuel and air. The combustible mixture is fed into a passageway 22 formed in a combustion chamber casting 24, and from the passageway 22 through a tube 26,' the end of which has a notch 28 formed therein so as to direct fuel radially outwardly from the tube. A baille 30 is provided, this bafe having clearance about portions of its periphery so as to permit passage of the combustible mixture to the combustion chamber bore 32. At

the side of this combustion chamber 32 is an opening 34 leading to a small enclosed chamber containing an igniter. As more fully disclosed in my aforesaid applications, this igniter may --comprise a. coil of nichrome resistance wire 36 which is adapted to be connected to the storage battery of .the vehicle, as will hereinafter appear, and thereby heated to incandescence the combustible mixture as it ows through the combustion chamber 32. The forward end of the combustion chamber is partially closed by a reigniter plug Il which is preferably made of a` refractory ceramic material. This plug is provided with a plurality of passageways` 40 extending therethrough andwith a central pocket 42 which serves as a recess in which the combustible mixture may collect and be heated suiiicien-tly to cause it to igniteA and thereby re-ignite the main body of the mixture within the chamber whenever the flame in the combustion chamber accidentally becomes extinguished. The igniter plug 38 is held in position in an enlarged portion of the bore 82 of the combustion chamber by a split ring spring 44.

The gases of combustion which ow through the passageways 46 of the re-igniter plug 38 pass through apertures formed in a baffle plate 48 and .from thence through a plurality of intercommunicating passageways formed in the radiator body casting 48, as will appear in greater detail hereinafter. The hot gases of combustion leave the radiator casting 48 through a nozzle 50 which serves as a means for compensatingffor variations in the degree of intake manifold suction. From the nozzle 50 the products of combustion flow through a passageway 52 and a conduit 54 to the intake manifold 56 of the engine upon which the heater is mounted.

A flap valve 58 controls the admission of air from the atmosphere to the passageway 22 through a duct 60. the flap valve 58 being formed of bimetallic thermostatic metal so as to bend away from the inlet end of the duct 60 and admit additional air to the combustible mixture after the heater has been in operation for a'sufllcient time to cause the valve 58 to become heated. 'I'his valve is more fully disclosed and claimed in my copending application, Serial No. 120,524, filed January 14, 1937. A put out valve device 82 controlled by a U-shaped strip 64 of thermostatic bimetal is provided suddenly to admit a relatively large' quantity of air to the combustion chamber, thereby to extinguish the flame therein whenever, due to failure of operation of the motor driven fan or other causes, the air above the radiator becomes heated above a predetermined safe temperature. This valve and its functions are more fully disclosed and claimed in my copending application, Serial No. 120,524, led January 14, 1937.

The operation of the heater is controlled by a control button 66 which is attached to a stem 68, the end of which is frusta-conical in shape to form a valve cooperable with the mouth of the vacuum compensating nozzle 50 to stop the flow of the gases of combustion therethrough. When the control button 66 is pulled outwardly, thereby opening the valve 10, it controls the koperation of a suitable switch mechanism 12 by means of which the igniter is connected to the source of current, usually the automobile storage battery. 'Ihe switch mechanism 12 isprovided with a thermostatically operated element to close the circuit to the motor 14 which drives a fan 16, and shortly thereafter, at a slightly higher temperature, to open the circuit which supplies current to the igniter. The stem 68 of the control valve 16 is provided with three grooves 18 adjacent the control'knob 66 whichare adapted to be'engaged by a spring clip 80 yieldably to holdthe control knob in' one of its positions of adj4ustment,li. e., oi, (as shown in Fig. `1), low heat, and full on.

' .The heater asa whole is partially vsurrounded l by .a suitable casing 82, in the bottom of which to a back plate 88, which, by means of supports 88, is fastened to the dashboard 60 of the vehicle, a suitable metallic mounting plate 82 being provided to eliminate any possible re hazard.

The above brief description of the general features of the construction of the heater of my invention is believed to be desirable so that the more detailed and specific constructional features of the radiator and associated parts, which is set forth hereinafter, may more readily be understood. It will be understood that the fuel feeding means, the put out valve mechanism 62, the switch mechanism, the control valve, and the compensator for variations in vacuum, the combustion chamber casting, and features other than the constructional improvements of the radiator and associated parts are more fully disclosed and are claimed in one or more of my copending applications,. Serial No. 61,213, filed January 28, 1936, Serial No. 120,523, filed January 14, 1937, Serial No. 170,075. filed November 29, 1937, Serial No. 120,524, led January 14, 1937, and the joint application of Thomas F. Spackman and myself, Serial No. 120,522, led January 14, 1937.

As best shown in Figs. 2 to 5, inclusive,I the radiator core formed by the integral casting is preferably a die casting of aluminum containing a relatively large percentage of silicon,

in the order of ve per cent. -I have found that this alloy will not be affected by the high temperatures of the gases of combustion, may be readily die cast, and has the desirable property of high heat conductivity. 'I'he casting comprises a generally cylindrical wall 94 which is formed integrally with radial walls defining longitudinally extending passagewaysSS to |62, inclusive. A central hollow cylindrical wall |84 provides a central passageway |06. v'I'he outer cylindrical.

wall 94 is provided with a longitudinally extending groove |88 to secure a shell IIB which ts over the radiator casting 48 against rotation relative thereto. rThe-she1l H8, as best shown in Fig. 1, is generally cylindrical, having one end thereof closed by an apertured wall I 2, and having a portion ||4 "of slightly-increased diameter and a flange H8 at its other end. The casting 48 fits snugly within the shell |18 so that these parts will be in good thermal conductive rela- Awith an inlet opening |28, a pair of auxiliary inlet openings |22 and |24, andan opening |26 which is provided to receive the forwardly projecting end of the nozzle 58.V The radiator casting 48, the end plate ||8, vand the baille plate. 46 are assembled in the shell ||0 as shown in Fig. 1, and this radiator assembly is secured by means ofthe flange I'I8 of the shell which is clamped between the combustion chamber casting 24 and the back plate 86, a suitable -gasket |28 being preferably provided to provide a seal against the admission of air. The casting 24 for the combustion chamberis secured to the4 plate 66 by means of machine screws |30, as ,shown in Fig.

v8. 'I'he radiator casting 48 and plates 46 and |18 are of such vdiniensionsthat theymust Abe pressed intothe shell III, with the'result that all of these parts will be in good heat conducting relationship with each other.

As best shown in Figs. 2 to 5, inclusive, the forward end of the inner hollow cylindrical wall |04 of the radiator casting is notched to provide a port |32 for the flow of the gaseous products of combustion from the central bore |06 of the casting to the generally segmental shaped passageway 05. It will be understood that the gas ilows forwardly from'the combustion chamber through the inlet opening |20 in the baille plate and thence in a forward direction through the central bore |06. The gases will flow rearwardly through the 'passageway 95 which communicates with the passageway" 96' at its rearward end through a notch |34 formed in the radial wall which separates the passageways 95 and 96. The remaining successive radial walls separating the passageways are notched alternately at their forward and rearward ends so as to provide a continuous circuitous passageway for the products of combustion from the combustion chamber to the nozzle 50. The gases will thus ow through the passageway in the direction as indicated by the arrows in Figs. 2, 3, and 4.

However, if the gases of combustion are admitted solely to the central passageway |06, I have found that the operation of the heater is slightly irregular due probably to the alternate increased rarefaction and compression of the gases during their course of ow through the circuitous passageway formed in the radiator casting. Apparently the gases, in passing through the passageways of the radiator, do not ,uniformly transmit their heat to the casting,

but instead the cooling action takes place in such manner that the gases are alternately more and less contracted because of localized cooling thereof. Assuming, for example, that the gases;

near the outlet end of the passageway through the radiator casting are rapidly cooled, such cooling will result in a sudden contraction of these gases with the result that the flow of the gases through the passageway toward the portion of reduced pressure is accelerated. The increased rate of ilow of the hot gases toward the part of the passageway where they are being rapidly cooled will, of course, deter the rapid cooling thereof, whereupon the pressure at the point of initial rapid cooling will again rise to its normal operating pressure. Then the rapid cooling effect may again take place and the cycle of cooling gases to contract them, accelerating the flow, retardlng the rapid cooling, and slowing up the ow will be repeated. This cycle of operations takes place rather rapidly with the result that the heater is noisy in operation. 'I'he variations in the rate of flow of the gases of combustin through the radiator is rei'lected in the combustion chamber and the uniform steady combustion desired is prevented. In certain cases, this uctuating pressure effect upon the gases in the combustion chamber may be sufficiently violent to cause extinguishment of the ame.

I have discovered that the above mentioned disadvantages of uctuating pressure within the the admixture of hot gases directly from the combustion chamber, supplied through these Y deviations from smooth uninterrupted operation of the heater are avoided.

Inasmuch as the shell ||0 is in intimate contactr With the radiator casting 40, the heat i-s freely transmitted from the latter to the former.

To facilitate radiation and transmission of heat" from the shell ||0 to the air which is forced downwardly 'past the radiator by means of a motor driven fan 16, I preferably provide a plurality of fins |30. These ns are preferably made of thin sheet copper and are rectangular in shape, being of varying width so as to extend into close proximity with the side walls of the casing 82. Each of the ns has a central opening surrounded by a flange |40. The flange |40 has a suitable depression |42 formed therein for registry with the groove formed in the shell ||0 and which in turn registers with the longitudinal groove |08 formed in the radiator casting 48. In this manner, the ns are prevented from rotating relative to the shell. 'I'he openings in the flanges |40 are preferably of such size as to enable the ns to be pressed over the shell ||0 so that there willl be a relatively tight press fit and the-anges |40 will be in heat transmitting contact with the shell.

WhileI have shown and described preferred embodiments of my invention, it will be readily understood by those skilled in the art that variations may -be made in the constructions disclosed without departing from the basic features of my invention. I therefore do not Wish to be limited to the precise construction disclosed, but desire to include within the scope of my invention all such modifications and variations which will readily suggest themselves.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by United States Letters Patent is:

l. In a radiator for automobile heaters of the internal combustion type, the combination of a radiator casting having a plurality of passageways extending longitudinally thereof, a shell of sheet metal having a closed end and tting snugly over said casting, a plurality of heat passageway through the radiator casting nay be transmitting and radiating fins secured to said shell in heat conducting relationship therewith, and means on said casting, said shell, and said fins to hold said parts against relative. rotation.

2. In an automobile heater of the internal combustion type, a radiator comprising a cylindrlcal shell having one end thereof closed, a generally cylindrical radiator fitting snugly within said shell and having a relatively large external surface in heat transmitting contact with the internal surfacegof said shell, said radiator element having a plurality of passageways extending longitudinally therethrough andvhaving ports connecting the alternate ends of said passageways to form a single continuous conduit throughsaid element, and a. baille plate closing the open end of said shell, said baiile plate having a relatively large opening communicating with one end' of the circuitous passageway formed in ,said radiator and having a secondv aperture communicating with said circuitous Ypassageway at aV point intermediate the ends tion cooperable with said groove, and a plurality of heat transmitting and radiating iins secured to said shell in heat conducting relationship therewith, each of said iins having a flange snugly embracing the external surface of said shell and spacing lthe iin from its adjacent 1in, the flanges of said ns having indentations cooperable with the deformation in said shell. y

4. In an automobile `heater of the internal combustion type, the combination of a radiator comprising a cylindrical shell having one end thereof closed, a generally cylindrical vradiator iltting snugly within said shell and having a relatively largeexternal surface in heat transmitting contact with the internal surface of said shell, said radiator element having a plurality of passageways extending longitudinally therethrough and havingports connecting the alternate ends of lsaid passageways to form a single continuous conduit through said element, and an' apertured baiiie plate closing the open end of said shell.. A

5. A radiator comprising a casting having a circuitous passageway extending therethrough,

asa-taaieA said circuitous passageway being formed by a plurality of inter-connected passageways extending completely through the casting in generally parallel directions, and metal plates covering the ends of said passageways at least one of said plates being apertured to provide for the admission of hot gases oi' combustion .to said circuitous passageway and the egress of said gases of combustion from said circuitous passageway.

6. A radiator comprising a casting having a circuitous passageway extending therethrough, said circuitous passageway being formed by passageways extending through said casting and ports interconnecting said passageways in series. a sheet metal cup enclosing said casting, and a baille plate closing the ends or said passageways remote from the bottom of said cup, said baille plate being provided with apertures for the admission of hot gases ot combustion to said circuitous passageway and for the discharge of said gases of combustion therefrom.

7. A radiator comprising an aluminum alloy die casting having a circuitous passageway extending therethrough for the iiow of hot gases, a shell of sheet copper fitting snuglyA about said casting, and -a plurality of fins of sheet copper pressed over said shell.

8. A radiator for automobile heaters of theV internal combustion type comprising an aluminum alloy die casting having a circuitous passageway formed therein for the iiow of the hot gases of combustion, a pair of plates at the ends of said casting, and a cup-shaped copper shell enclosing all except one end of said casting and iltting snugly against the external surface of said casting.

. HENRY J. DE N. McCOLLUM. 

